The Sandman is an American fantasy drama television series based on the 1989–1996 comic book written by Neil Gaiman and published by DC Comics. The series was developed by Gaiman, David S. Goyer, and Allan Heinberg for the streaming service Netflix and is produced by DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television. Like the comic, The Sandman tells the story of Dream / Morpheus, the titular Sandman. The series stars Tom Sturridge as the title character with Boyd Holbrook, Vivienne Acheampong, and Patton Oswalt in supporting roles.
Efforts to adapt The Sandman to film began in 1991 but floundered in development hell for many years. In 2013, Goyer pitched a film adaptation of the series to Warner Bros. Goyer and Gaiman were set to produce alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who was planned to star and possibly direct. However, Gordon-Levitt exited over creative differences in 2016. Due to the prolonged development of the film, Warner Bros. shifted its focus to television. Netflix signed a deal to produce the series in June 2019 and filming lasted from October 2020 to August 2021. The series has received positive reviews from critics with praise going toward the casting, production design, costumes, faithfulness to its source material, visual effects, and performances.
The Sandman premiered on August 5, 2022, with 10 episodes available immediately. An additional special episode became available on August 19. In November 2022, it was renewed for a second season which premiered across two parts on July 3 and 24, 2025, concluding with a special episode on July 31. In January 2025, it was announced that the series would end with the second season.
Premise Morpheus, the personification of dreams and one of the seven Endless, is captured in an occult ritual in 1916. He escapes in 2022, after being held captive for 106 years. He sets out to restore order to his realm, the Dreaming.
Cast and characters
Main Tom Sturridge as Lord Dream / Morpheus, the personification of dreams and nightmares and the ruler of the Dreaming Sturridge also voices Dream's black cat counterpart in the episode "Dream of a Thousand Cats" Boyd Holbrook as: The Corinthian (season 1), a nightmare who escaped the Dreaming and operates as a serial killer The second Corinthian (season 2), a nightmare that shares the appearance and memories of the original Corinthian, but does not indulge in killing Vivienne Acheampong as Lucienne, the librarian of the Dreaming and its property caretaker in Dream's absence Patton Oswalt as the voice of Matthew the Raven, Dream's emissary who was a human until he died in his sleep and reincarnated as a raven by Lucienne
Recurring
Jenna Coleman as Johanna Constantine, an occult detective and Dream's close ally. Coleman plays two versions of the character: the present-day descendant based on John Constantine and her identical eighteenth-century ancestor Lady Johanna Constantine. Sanjeev Bhaskar and Asim Chaudhry as Cain and Abel, residents of the Dreaming based on the biblical Cain and Abel who have a pet baby gargoyle named Goldie Nina Wadia, Dinita Gohil, and Souad Faress as the Fate Mother, Fate Maiden, and Fate Crone, the triple deity collectively known as the Kindly Ones who have aspects that have been referred to as the Fates, the Graeae, and the Erinyes David Thewlis as John Dee (season 1), Cripps's and Burgess's son whose endeavor to find "truth" jeopardizes the world. Gaiman described Dee as a character "who could break your heart and keep your sympathy while taking you into the darkest places". Clare Higgins as Mad Hettie, a 280-year-old homeless woman and acquaintance of Johanna Constantine Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer Morningstar, the ruler of Hell. This series's incarnation of Lucifer is much closer to the character's original depiction in the comics than his depiction in the 2016 Lucifer television series. Neil Gaiman noted that it would be difficult to reconfigure the Lucifer version (portrayed by Tom Ellis) so he would fit back into The Sandman. Cassie Clare as Mazikeen of the Lilim, a devoted ally of Lucifer Morningstar Deborah Oyelade (season 1) and Umulisa Gahiga (season 2) as Queen Nada, a prehistoric African queen who was once romantically involved with Dream Mason Alexander Park as Desire, the personification of desire and Dream's sibling Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Death, the personification of death and Dream's kinder, wiser older sister Ferdinand Kingsley as Hob Gadling, Dream's friend who has lived for hundreds of years Donna Preston as Despair, the personification of despair, Dream's sister, and Desire's twin Vanesu Samunyai as Rose Walker, a young woman searching for her lost brother who becomes a prey of the Corinthian Razane Jammal as Hippolyta "Lyta" Hall, Rose's friend and a widow mourning her husband Sandra James-Young as Unity Kinkaid (season 1), Rose's benefactor and great-grandmother who has recently awakened from a century-long slumber Stephen Fry as Gilbert / Fiddler's Green, a dream and a personification of a location in the Dreaming who appears in the form of a mysterious gentleman and becomes Rose's bodyguard Eddie Karanja as Jed Walker (season 1), Rose's younger brother and the ward of Gault, who protects him from his abusive uncle via the Dreaming Aryel Tsoto as young Jed Walker (season 1) Mark Hamill as the voice of Mervyn Pumpkinhead, a chain-smoking janitor with a jack-o'-lantern for a head. Nicholas Anscombe provides the motion capture for Mervyn's body. Esmé Creed-Miles as Delirium (season 2), the personification of delirium, formerly the personification of delight, and Dream's youngest sibling Adrian Lester as Destiny (season 2), the personification of destiny and Dream's eldest sibling Ann Skelly as Nuala (season 2), a fairy servant and representative of Faerie Douglas Booth as Cluracan (season 2), Nuala's brother and a fairy courtier who serves the king and queen of Faerie Freddie Fox as Loki (season 2), the Norse trickster god Jack Gleeson as Puck / Robin Goodfellow (season 2), a mischievous hobgoblin from Faerie Ruta Gedmintas as Queen Titania (season 2), the queen of Faerie who is an old friend of Dream Barry Sloane as Destruction (season 2), the personification of destruction and Dream's brother who has abandoned his realm and duties Steve Coogan as the voice of Barnabas (season 2), a talking dog and Destruction's companion
Guest
Joely Richardson as Ethel Dee (née Cripps) / Madame Daudet (season 1), Burgess's mistress and the mother of John Dee Niamh Walsh as young Ethel Cripps (season 1) Bill Paterson as Dr. John Hathaway (season 1), a museum curator who works with Roderick Burgess Charles Dance as Sir Roderick Burgess / Magus (season 1), an aristocratic occultist Laurie Kynaston as Alex Burgess, Roderick Burgess's son Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as young Alex Burgess (season 1) Benedick Blythe (season 1) and Geoffrey Beevers (season 2) as older Alex Burgess Christopher Colquhoun as Paul McGuire (season 1), Alex Burgess's closest friend and lover Chris Gordon as young Paul McGuire Tedroy Newell as older Paul McGuire (season 2) Meera Syal as Erica (season 1), a vicar known as "Ric the Vic" who seeks out Johanna Constantine's help with a demonic possession Sarah Niles as Rosemary (season 1), a good Samaritan woman who helps John retrieve his ruby Martyn Ford as Squatterbloat (season 1), a gatekeeper of Hell Munya Chawawa as Choronzon, a demon-duke of Hell Ernest Kingsley Jr. as Kai'ckul, an aspect of Dream seen through the eyes of Nada Emma Duncan as Bette Munroe (season 1), a waitress and one of John Dee's victims Steven Brand as Marsh Janowski (season 1), a cook and one of John Dee's victims Laurie Davidson as Mark Brewer (season 1), a diner guest and one of John Dee's victims Daisy Head as Judy Talbot (season 1), a diner guest and one of John Dee's victims James Udom and Lourdes Faberes as Gary and Kate Fletcher (season 1), two diner guests who become John Dee's victims Samuel Blenkin (season 1) and Luke Allen-Gale (season 2) as Will Shaxberd, an aspiring playwright Will Keen as older William Shakespeare (season 2) Ian McNeice as a bartender (season 1), who serves Hob Gandling in the 1980s Lloyd Everitt as Hector Hall (season 1), Lyta's deceased husband, whose ghost hides from Death in the Dreaming Andi Osho as Miranda Walker (season 1), Unity's granddaughter and Rose and Jed's mother John Cameron Mitchell as Hal Carter (season 1), Rose's friend and host of the bed and breakfast (B&B). Hal also moonlights as a drag queen and cabaret performer. Daisy Badger and Cara Horgan as Chantal and Zelda (season 1), guests at Hal's B&B Lily Travers and Richard Fleeshman as Barbie and Ken (season 1), guests at Hal's B&B Jill Winternitz, Kerry Shale, and Danny Kirrane as the Good Doctor, Nimrod, and Fun Land (season 1), a trio of serial killers that hold a convention disguised as a "cereal convention" while drawing out the Corinthian to be a guest speaker Lisa O'Hare and Sam Hazeldine as Clarice and Barnaby Farrell (season 1), Jed's aunt and uncle. Barnaby is physically abusive towards Jed. Unlike the comics, Clarice does not mistreat Jed and is terrified into compliance by Barnaby. Lenny Henry as: The voice of Martin Tenbones (season 1), a magical, dog-like creature who appears in the dreams of Barbie Bernie Capax (season 2), a 12,000-year-old lawyer and friend of Destruction Ann Ogbomo as the voice of Gault (season 1), a nightmare who seeks to become a dream while protecting children from abuse. Gault replaces the characters Brute and Glob from the comics. Lewis Reeves as Philip Sitz (season 1), a blogger pretending to be a serial killer called "The Boogieman" so that he can know how to become one Roger Allam (season 1) and Wil Coban (season 2) as Lord Azazel, one of the Lords of Hell. Allam voices his ragged opening into darkness form in the first season, while Coban portrays his humanoid form and voices his ragged opening into darkness form in the second season. Nonso Anozie as the voice of the Wyvern, one of the Gatekeepers who guard the entrance to Dream's castle Diane Morgan (season 1) and Jo Martin (season 2) as the voice of the Griffin, one of the Gatekeepers who guard the entrance to Dream's castle Tom Wu (season 1) and Paul Rhys (season 2) as the voice of the Hippogriff, one of the Gatekeepers who guard the entrance to Dream's castle Melissanthi Mahut as Calliope, the ancient Greek Muse of epic poetry who is Dream's ex-wife and Orpheus's mother Arthur Darvill as Richard "Ric" Madoc, a struggling author who imprisons Calliope against her will Derek Jacobi as Erasmus Fry (season 1), a writer of Greek mythology and the original captor of Calliope Clive Russell as Odin (season 2), the Norse god of war and wisdom and the ruler of Asgard Laurence O'Fuarain as Thor (season 2), the Norse god of thunder who is Odin's son and Loki's brother Phoebe Nicholls as Taramis (season 2), the chef de cuisine of the Dreaming Olamide Candide-Johnson as Merkin, Mother of Spiders (season 2), a demonic envoy serving Lord Azazel who produces spiders from her womb and spider legs from her torso Kristofer Kamiyasu as Susano-o-no-Mikoto (season 2), the Japanese kami of the sea and storms Andre Flynn as the Servant of Lord Kilderkin (season 2), an unnamed representative of Kilderkin of the Lords of Order whose master's messages manifest inside a cubic box Lyla Quinn and Sue Muand as Shivering Jemmy (season 2), a representative of the Lords of Chaos. Quinn portrays Shivering Jemmy as a young girl, while Muand portrays her as an elderly woman. Jake Fairbrother as Remiel (season 2), an angel sent by the Creator to oversee who Dream is going to give the key to Hell to Rilwan Abiola Owokoniran as Duma (season 2), a silent angel and Remiel's companion who joins him to oversee Dream's decision